Heater



June 19, 1928.

W. W. RIDGELY HEATER Filed July 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l KENTOR flrroRNays v W M M June 19, 1928. 1,674,063

W. W. RIDG ELY HEATER Filed July 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 -3 flrro NEYS Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. RIDGELY, F SYRACUSE, NEW $03K, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TORIDGELY HEATER COMPANY, OFSCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HEATER.

Application filed July 15, 1925. Serial No. 43,799.

This invention relates to heaters, but more particularly to supplemental fire boxes and supporting means therefor of the class set forth in my pending application #757,467,

5 filed Dec. 22, 1924, in which the main object is to support the fuel in such manner that fresh air for supporting combustion may come in contact with the bottom, sides and top of the combustible fuel throughout the area thereof from bottom to top.

Another object is to construct the supple mental sides of the box in sections of sufficiently small size to permit them to be easily and quickly installed in place ready for use through the fuel or ash opening v of the heater.

In most of the hot air furnaces, the hot water and steam boilers and house heaters in general using solid fuels, the ash box and overlying grates extend forwardly and rearwardly in more or less straight lines so that the sections of the grate are arranged within a rectilinear area parallel with the sides of the ash pit while in many furnaces the combustion chamber is substantially circular, and one of the specific objects of the present invention is to construct the sections of the supplemental fire box in such manner that when assembled the lower portion thereof will be substantially rectangular and the upper portion circular so that the circular portions of the sections gradually merge into flat portions at the bottom.

Another object iseto provide the lower ends of the supplemental sections and supporting frame therefor with cooperative locking.means whereby when the frame is properly installed the sections may be placed thereon and held against lateral or circumferential movement without any other fastening means. a

Another specific objectis to flare the upper ends of the sections outwardly to enable them to rest against the inner walls of the combustion chamber for additionally holding them against radial displacement.

A further object is toprovide a supporting frame for the grate bars and supplemental sections capable of being easily and quickly installed in the place of the gratesupporting frame commonly used in many furnaces of standard makes.

Other obj s and uses relating to specific parts of the apparatus will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan of the detached supplemental fire box and its supporting frame and grate bars in their assembled relation as used in a circular combustionchamber.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 and adjacent portions of the fire box and ash pit taken in the plane of line 22, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken in the plane of line 33, Figure 2.

Figures at, 5 and 6' are detail sectional views taken in the planes of lines et l, 5-5 and 6G, respectively, Figure 3, except por tions of the front grate supporting bar are shown in elevation in Figure 4 and one of the grate bars and adjacent portion of the connecting link are shown in elevation in Figure 5. 7

As illustrated, the heater comprises an ash box or base section A and a circular fire pot -B within which is mounted a supplemental frame -1 carrying a supplemental fire box 2 and aplurality of grate bars -3.

The ash box A, is elongated from front to rear and is provided with parallel sides and a substantially semi-circular rear end substantially concentric with the lower end of the [ire box -B which rests upon an annular flange cv on the top of the ash box and around a circular opening w therein for establishing communication between the interior of the fire box'and ash pit.

The front end ofthe ash box is disposed in a plane at substantially right angles to -t-he sides thereof and isprovided with a relatively large opening a for cleanout and draft purposes and also for receiving the front ends of the grate bars 3-.

The rear end of the ash box is preferably closed and provided with a series of parallel sockets a arranged in transversely spaced relation but in the same horizontal plane with their open. ends facing forwardly, the outermost sockets being arranged at equal distances from the longitudinal center of the ash box for a purpose presently described.

-A pair'of parallel horizont-albars g AMI are removably supported at their rear ends in the outermost sockets a to extend forwardly therefrom within the upper portion of the ash box -A and are supported attheir front ends by a transverse bar 5 which is secured by bolts 6 or equivalent fastening means to the underside of the top of the ash box -A and is provided in its lower side with recesses -7 for receiving the front ends of the bars.

A pair of plates 8- are each secured by bolts -tl to the cross bar 3 across the lower open sides of the recess s T- for holding the side bars -4- in said recesses and in fixed relation to the cross bar The height of the recesses -7 is slightly than the diameter of the bars -l to permit the adjacent. ends of the bars to be tightly clamped between the plates 8- and upper walls of the recesses when the bolts 9 are drawn up tightly thereby holding the bars against axial displacement when adjusted for use.

The supplemental frame 1- is substantially rectangular or. in this particular instance square. in top plan and is supported in a horizontal plane directly upon the upper faces of the bars --l. and centrally within the central opening -a*- in the top of the ash box and for this purpose its opposite sides are provided with laterally projecting lugs -10 near the corners thereof as shown more clearly in Figures 3 and G.

This supplemental frame --lof less width than the opening (z" in the front; of the ash box to permit it to be placed in operative position through said opening and when properly positioned with the lugs 10 resting on the upper faces of the bars ,tits center will be substantially coaxial with the axis of the circular fire pot B- and supplemental tire pot 2.

Th area of the supplemental friune 1- is considerably less than the area of the opening a in the top of the ash box thereby leaving considerable space between the marginal edge of said frame and walls of the ash box for the passage of air therethrough.

As previously stated the supplemental frame is rectangular or in this instance square and the opening thereth ough is also square and determines the fuel area exposed to the grates.

The intermediate portions of the front and rear ends of the frame l are provided with flanges 1land -12- extending downwardly between the bars -4. for receiving and supporting the grate bars 3 in a substantially horizontal plane. the rear flanges -l2- being provided with journal 0 enings 1.3 for receiving the rear ends 0' the grate bars 3- while the front flanges -11. are provided with recesses 13' open at the bottom to permit the grate bars to be placed from the uiuler:-:ide therein and seated against the top walls of the recesses l3 where they are held in place by a separate cross plate "H This cross plate 1+tsecured by bolts -l5 to the front face of the front, [hinge -1l and is provided with recesses -l( open at the top for receiving the adjacent; portions of the grate bars -3 as the bar -l4l is placed in operative position from the bottom upward and when secured in place serves to hold the front ends of the grate h in the recesses --l 3- with sulticient play to permit the grate, bars to be easily rotated or rocked upon their axes for removing the ashes from the grates.

The portions of the grate bars within the frame lare provided with triangular flanges -16, those of each bar being arranged in sequence from front to rear and are of equal size and are normally positioned with one of their sides facing upwardly to support the solid fuel which may be placed in the sup 'ilemental lire box 2.

The grate bar shafts Zl--- extend for" wardly some distance beyond the horizontal bar 5- and are provided with enhirged extremities --1T having triangular sockets --l8-- either of which is adapted to receive a correspondingly shaped hand crank for oscillating or shaking the grates to remove the ashes from the burned fuel.

The intermediate portion of the cross bars is provided with recesses ltl open at the bottom for receiving the adjacent portions of the grate bars --Z,- which are held in said recesses by an lll1(l(".l'l flllg plate -.2t) and suitable clamping bolt.----i2lsecuring said plate to the underside of the cross bar -5 imlependcntly of the plates 8 previously described.

Each of the four sides of the upper ])tH' tion of the supplemental frame -'l is irovided along its inner edge with a pair of upwardly projecting lugs :2 in longitudinally spaced. relation equal distances from the center thereof while the. outer edge-1 of each side are provided with a centrally dis;- posed upstanding lug -2f3- said lll'gs being disposed in different transversely spaced vz-rtical planes for rer..-eivin;r and tupporling the lower ends of the corresponding bltltr of the supplemental tire pot -2, presently described.

The portion of the grate bars l between the (T055 bar 5-- and heads IT--- are provided with triangular flanges ---2l-- of substantially the same form and size as the flanges -16 all of said flanges being arranged with one of their angles or apexes at the bottom and consequently one of their flat sides at the top as previously explained.

The lower apexes of the flanges -2-tare pivotally connected by bolts 25 to and between the opposite walls of a channel bar till 2 ifor transmitting rocking motion fastening means, while the shoulders from one grate bar tothe other when either is shaken.

The object in connecting the lower apexes of the flanges -24 in the groove channel bar as Q- is to utilize the bottom of the channel bar to cooperate with the edges of theflanges for limitingthe rocking movement of the grate bars and preventing accidental dumping of the-fuel. a

The supplemental fire box 2 as illustrated has a circular upper portion and a square or rectangular lower portion corresponding to the size and shape of the supplemental frame -1 upon which itis adapted to rest, thelower ends of the circular portion being gradually merged with the straight sides of the lower portion without any abrupt breaks in thecontinuity of the inner surface of the supplemental fire pot from top to bottom.

The supplemental fire pot -f2 as a whole flares outwardly and upwardly from its lower end to the upper end which latter is of substantially the same diameter as the interior diameter of the adjacent portion of the fire pot --B so as to rest against the same and thereby to assist in holding the supplemental fire pot and its supporting frame 1- against lateral movement relatively to the ash box A- and main pot It will be understood from the foregoing description that the supplemental fire box is made somewhat in the form of an inverted bell or an inverted truncated cone except that the smaller end is square or rectangular and by flaring the sides of this fire box upwardly in the manner described a relatively small portion of the marginal edge of the upper end is engaged with the outer fire pot -B while the remaining portions are in spaced relation thereto to form a supplemental air and combustion chamber 26- between the two the pots and extending nearly the entire length of the supplemental fire pot except the small area of contact :with the outer fire pot -'B.

The supplemental fire box 2- is preferably divided vertically into four equal sections in planes passing diagonally through the corners of the frame 1 and axis of both fire pots, one section for each side of the supplemental frame V-1-.

The lower edge of each section is therefore straight and of substantially the same length as the corresponding side of the suplemental frame 1- and is provided with ongitudinally spaced recesses 27 for receiving the lugs 22 which serve to hold the lower ends of the section against inward and circumferential displacement and affords a simple means for properly positioning the sections in place upon the supplemental frame without other -2S engage the outer faces ,of the lower ends of the sections to .hold the latter against outward displacement without other retaining means. i The upper ends of the several sections have rather, an abrupt outward flare at -28- to bring theeirtreme upper edges thereof against the adjacent portions of the outer fire pot -B and at the same time to space the remaining portions of the supplemental lire pot away from the outer fire pot to form the chamber -26.

The flattened or straight lower portions forming the lower ends of four sides of the supplemental fire pot are relatively short vertically so that the remaining portions above the flattened portions are circular and constitute the major portion thereof.

It is, therefore, evident that eachsection of the supplemental fire pot has a substantially straight or flattened lower end and acircular upper portion and in order to produce a gradual merging of the flattened with the circular portion the line of mergence as -a:, Figure 2 would be in form of an arc of a circle of greatest height at the center and gradually reducing in height to practically zero in the ends, the result being that the opposite edges of each section aside from the abrupt flare at 28 is substantially straight but inclined upwardly and outwardly while the degree of inclination from a vertical of the flattened portion of each section midway between its edges would be greater, as at -Q9, than the circular portions.

Under these conditions the fuel in the upper circular portion of the fire box 2- will feed downwardlymore abruptly than that which rests upon the lower flattened sides which tends'to retard the abrupt downward feed of the adjacent portions of the fuel and to assist in concentrating the fuel within the relatively smaller area of the supplemental frame 1 and upon the upper faces of the adjacent portions of the grates 16. n

One of the objects of making the supplemental fire pot in sections of silniliar size and shape is to enable them to be cast from a single mold and a further object is to enable them to be made of sufliciently small size so that they may be installed in place upon the frame 1- through the fuel opening, but if the fuel opening is too small to permit the passage of the sections there through they may be inserted through the ash door opening into the ash box, then temporarily supported in any suitable man ner within the fire pot B until the supplemental frame 1- and grates -3- are installed ready to receir e them in which case they may be properly placed upon the frame --leither through the opening to the main body of dblli the ash box or through the fuel opening by simply bringing the recesses -2 of each section into registration with the corresponding lugs -22- and within the outer flange The several sections of the supplemental fire box are provided with one or more, in this instance three, horizontal rows of vertit-all; elongated openings or slots 3t)- therethrough for connecting: the supplemental chamber -26 with the supplemental combustion chamber in the tire pot -2 and thereby permitting the passage of air from the ash pit upwardly into the chamber 26 and thence through the passages -3() to the fuel for stimulating combustion of said fuel at; all levels in the supplemental fire pot in addition to the supply of air through the grates and opening in the supplemental frame 1.

This means for supplying fresh air to the fuel at all levels from top to the bottom of the supplemental fire pot causes a more complete combustion and incineration of all of the fuel thereby producing a more intense heat with a given quantity of coal and at the same time burning the gases and reducing; the smoke content of the escaping grases to a minimum, resulting in a large saying of fuel and a relatively small amount of line ash residue.

If at any time it should become necessary to remove any one or both of the grates it is simply necessary to remove the plates ]-land -20 thus permitting the front ends of the grates to drop down out of the recesses -13'- and l9- whereupon the grate bars may be withdrawn from the respective bearings -l3- in the flanges 12- and thence outwardly through the opening in the front end of the ash box.

After the grates have been removed in the manner described, the su 'iplemental frame 1 may also be removed by simply ren'ioving the plates -8- from the underside of the cross bar *5- whereupon the bars lmay be withdrawn from the sockets -o" through the open front end of the ash box to allow the frame -1 to drop downwardly into the ash box from which it ma be removed through the front end thereof.

This removal of the frame -lreleases the sections of the supplemental fire pot and permits them to be readily disengaged one from the other and removed either-from the fuel door or dropped down to the ash box and removed therefrom.

IYhat I claim is:

I. In a heater of the character described, an ash box having an opening in its top. a tire pot seated on the top of the ash box around the opening, sockcted hearings on the rear end of the ash box, a cross bar supported from the top of the ash box in front of said opening and provided with l't'ttf -ts horizontal bars having their rear ends mounted in the socketed bearings and their front ends supported in the recesses of said cross bar, a frame resting upon the horizontal bars in spaced relation to the walls of said opei'iing, a supplemental lire pot having its lower end seated on the upper face of the frame and its upper end engaged with the walls of the first-named tire pot and its remaining portions in spaced relation to said walls to form an intervening air chamber communicating with said opening. said suppltllltlli'ill tire pot being perforated throughout the greater portion of its height to permit the passage of air from said chamber to the fuel at different levels.

2. In a heater of the character described, an ash box, a pair of parallel horizontal bars adapted to be supported in spaced relation in the upper portion of the ash box. a frame resting upon the upper faces of the l)tll i and slidably adjustal'ile thereon, a supplemental fire pot tlariIr upwardly from bottom to top and having its lower end resting: upon the upper face of the frame said lire pot. beinp perforated throughout the greater portion of its area.

3. In a heater of the character dcr-cribcd. an ash box. a pair of parallel horizontal bars adapted to be supported in spaced relation in the upper portion of the ash box. a frame resting upon the upper faces of the bars and slidably adjustable thereon. a supplemental lire pm llarin; upwardly from bottom to top and having its lower end rest inc upon the upper face of the frame. said fire pot being perforated throughout the greater portion of its area, and grate bars journaled on the frame between and parallel with the firstn'amed bars.

In witness whereof I have hereunto :et my hand this 11th day of May. 1925.

WILLIAM IV. RIDGELY. 

